Dense as Flour
by Senshi'sBard
Summary: Hayate's in denial; Himeno's in despair. Two-shot. Possible random additions to come. T for Teenage Hormones.
1. Hayate

Hooray! A Pretear fanfic! Been wanting to write one of these for a month or two. I'm not sure exactly when it's set, but let's just say it's earlier on, when Hayate is in quite a bit of denial. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

It wasn't fair. To be honest, it was nothing short of ridiculous. And Hayate was always honest. He hated himself for it; it ruined things. But to be honest was to realize that things weren't fair, and they _weren't, _and…

Oh Lord. He was driving himself crazy. He was already crazy. He didn't even know what crazy was, but if he had known, then it would have been this. Or it would have without him knowing. He didn't know. He wasn't sure. He didn't -

_"Gah!" _he cried out, digging his hands into his tangled hair. He ought to cut off his hair, he knew. It just got blown around constantly by the wind, and worked itself into knots, but every time Kei prepared to chop off a foot or two, he chickened out and ran away. He was good at that. Chicken out, Hayate. Run away. And he'd tried, this time. He'd tried to run away from Himeno.

_But every time, she followed him_.

She was there at his elbow, everywhere he went: in Leafania, with the blooming flowers; in the fountains that bubbled like her laughter; even _fruit_, goddammit, even strawberries reminded him of the reddish tint to her light hair. And every night when he slammed his eyes shut to rid himself of her face, that very same face was smiling back at him.

Damn Himeno. Damn her. She just couldn't leave him alone. She was _obsessed _with him, was what it was. She just had to follow him around until he admitted to himself that she was different from Takako. Very different.

Stronger, for one thing. She went through her period of doubt, but she had more resolve than he'd ever seen in a human being - or in any being, for that matter, since it wasn't as if fish outdid people at willpower. She was so determined to be Pretear, so determined to prove to herself that she could do it - and she seemed equally determined to prove it to _him_. Alright, so he'd been cold to her at first. He didn't want another Pretear falling in love with him. He didn't see how he was even fall-in-love-able, anyway. He was generally detached, distantly protective, silently dedicated to his duty. And that was about all he could imagine any Pretear might see in him.

Oh, who was he kidding? He was downright rude to Himeno countless times because he knew deep down it was his fault. If Takako hadn't fallen in love with him, she never would have become Saihi and this whole business would never have happened, and Himeno wouldn't have had to be Pretear. She was the reminder that he had failed as a Leafe Knight. He had done something wrong, and as a result, _she _was here.

Here. Staring at him. With her bright auburn-brown eyes.

_Damn her_.

She took everything so slowly, chewing over every nuance and detail like a piece of beef jerky. Beef jerky? Oh Lord, Lord, Lord, he was losing it. But she was so intelligent, so restrained, with a million and three thoughts reeling behind that thick head of hair, and he longed to crack that brain open like a watermelon with a gratifying thwack, and see all the juicy thoughts running out, and taste them, see how sweet she really was inside…

No. She wasn't sweeter than any average girl, although he hadn't known many in his experience as the Knight of Wind. He'd known Takako, and he'd refused to let himself know Himeno, and as far as girls went, that was it. He'd observed the gender at large rather passively, of course, from day to day; he'd seen the bitterness behind Mawata's eyes, and the spite in Mayune's; he'd seen the way Natsue manipulated the people around her. He'd sat at a coffee shop and watched young females pass by in droves, giggling and gossiping and generally making a scene that he'd rather do without. In his mind, unknowledgeable as he was on the subject of women, there were two types of girls: the loud ones, and the silent angry ones. And then there was Himeno, who was quiet and sincere and had real joy fighting to break out of her, but it was repressed by the ugliness of the circumstances that surrounded her, by the redness of the snow, by the tears of blood he knew her heart must be shedding…

_Damn her, damn her, damn her_.

She had things hard, certainly, but he saw the brightness blazing within her. Every day he was forced to watch how silly and playful, and yet how graceful and powerful she could be. That power came from a place deep inside that he imagined was blooming with fresh tulips, a garden in her soul that was the very place where Leafe grew.

And despite all this - despite all her optimism and pettiness and wisdom - he was cruel as crab to her. Cruel as a crab. _Cruel as a crab? _He groaned again. Of all the stupid similes in the world…

"Something bothering you, Hayate?"

He grunted. Leave it to Sasame to come in at a time like this.

"I'm always here to listen."

"I've heard," said Hayate shortly. He risked a quick glance at the boy leaning against the doorframe. "Quite a few times." And when was the last time he'd actually taken Sasame up on the offer and spilled his guts like a twelve year old girl at a slumber party? _Never_. So why was the kid so damn convinced he'd change his mind?

"It's Himeno, isn't it?" Sasame sounded amused.

"What makes you say _that?"_

The other Knight chuckled. "Just because you're dense as flour doesn't mean the rest of us are." He stretched and yawned. "I'm turning in, then. Let me know when you've decided to stop being an idiot."

"Close the door," Hayate said gruffly.

Sasame smirked and moved to obey. "Good night, lover boy."

"I - _what?" _

The door clicked shut.

He flopped back on his bed and stared at the navy blue ceiling. He was _not _in love with Himeno. That was a ridiculous notion. She had crazy hair and a quirky smile and she was a skinny little thing, no shape to her whatsoever. Her head was too large for the rest of her, and she had the widest pair of eyes she'd ever seen. She looked like a goddamn alien. He doubted she'd ever had a boyfriend before, let alone kissed anyone. She was only sixteen, after all - far too young for _anyone _to be in love with her.

No, she was the one who was obsessed with him. That's why he couldn't get her out of his head; she unnerved him. She was so set on proving him wrong about every little thing he ever said. It made him edgy.

He flopped abruptly onto his side. Even if he _did _find a girl he could love, it would be detrimental to his duty as a Knight. Too distracting. He might compromise the safety of his fellow Knights, of the world itself, just to protect her. He did have that undeniable protective instinct; that was why he was so worried about Himeno the whole time. He hadn't felt that way for Takako, but he'd never imagined the Pretear could become someone like Saihi. He didn't want that for Himeno, because that would mean… well, it would mean _two _Saihis, and that would put the rest of the Knights in danger, and… and yes. That was all there was to it. He just didn't want Himeno to become a danger to the world, and that was why he worried about her constantly, thought about her, dreamed about her...

He squeezed his eyes shut. Himeno was there, hiding behind his lids, as he knew she would be.

_Damn her… _It just wasn't fair.

* * *

Thanks for reading! (:


	2. Himeno

And, boys and girls, on the other side of the universe, another lovesick teenager was damning _her_ fate! How sweet!

Teehee. I love snarky angst. That should be a category all unto itself, shouldn't it?

* * *

Himeno was the daughter of a romance novelist. She was bound to love clichés. She was bound to become a walking, talking cliché herself. It was pure destiny. Fate. Evil, terrible fate.

She groaned and smacked her face into her pillow.

Of _course_ she would be the type of girl who swooned over anything tall, dark, and handsome - quietly stoic, passively abrasive. Abrasively passive? Either, really. Of _course _anyone she set her eye on would be completely out of her short-haired, brown-eyed, stick-skinny and plain-faced reach. She damned fate. She damned destiny.

And she damned Hayate.

It would just _figure_ that she'd fall for the one boy she could never get along with. It would just _figure _that he made fun of her mercilessly and called her "tulip head" and told her she would never be good enough of a Pretear. It would just _figure _that she would trudge along day to day feeling so utterly hopeless and alone and miserable and then whenever he arrived it was like a burst of fresh air and she could breathe again.

_(Stupid trite love metaphors.)_

She squealed aloud in frustration and teenage heartache and slammed her fists into the mattress. This was _dumb_, this was _pointless, _this would end in _nothing_, there was _no use _in floundering about, hoping that he would… would… would look at her like she was something new, something he'd never seen before, instead of passing over her, assuming she was just another bland and brainless twit of a girl.

Twit of a girl, twit of a girl - it had a sort of ring to it -

"Oh, shut _up!" _she grumbled to herself, her hands now pressed to her ears.

But it frustrated her that now that she thought of it, she couldn't imagine Hayate - _damn _him - doing anything nice to her. Well, of course she couldn't. He never _had, _before. But the more she wondered, the more she thought it would be just a little nice to see him treat her like an equal, a fellow warrior. Yes. Yes, that was what she wanted. She just wanted to be his comrade, not some bug under his foot. All she wanted was respect and friendship and -

_And for him to come flying through the window and sweep her off her feet and carry her away and kiss her, kiss her, kiss her _-

"URGH!"

So perhaps not just friendship after all.

_Stupid. Romantic. Clichés_.

It was all the goddamn hormones. She was sixteen years old and maybe she was starting to dream a little too vividly and to wake up sweaty and aroused in the middle of the night, so what if she was, _it was all just the hormones_. Her little slight mild meager obsession over Hayate was just a channeling of those hormones into something that maybe seemed a little tangible, maybe realer, maybe a little too intense, oh, _Lord, _she just couldn't _handle _it, she was going to burst into a thousand pieces with a sonic boom so tumultuous that Sasame's ears would pop right off, and _then _Hayate would be sorry he'd never said a single word to her, because there'd be absolutely no Pretear and it would be absolutely his fault -

Again -

_Oh, God._

Her hand flew up to her mouth, her eyes widened in horror. Had she really just - oh, it was too horrible to even imagine, she was terrible, she was wretched, she was unworthy of a single breath of air - to _think _of blaming Hayate for what had happened with Takako. No, it wasn't his fault. Well, maybe it was a little his fault, for being so cold and unyielding – but no, Takako said he'd been kind, once. He'd been caring and friendly and just far, far too lovable. So then what could he do, if some silly little girl just happened to fall head over heels for him and there was absolutely positively unconditionally no goddamn way he could _ever _feel the same, _never, ever_, because he was Hayate, and he had no _feelings - _

No, she corrected herself silently. No, he had feelings. She'd seen the anguish flowing in his eyes when he'd revealed the past to her. She'd tasted the overwhelming guilt that permeated the air; she'd sensed its weight, a burden so heavy that stumbling would shatter him once and for all -

_And so he couldn't fall for her, couldn't even trip, for fear of destroying himself for good._

It was a cruel realization, but… sensible. Sensical. Er… it made sense. And even if it killed her, well, at least there would be sense. Even if she shattered to smithereens, there would be sense.

At least, there would be sense until she re-pictured a pair of deep, soulful, often-scowling blue eyes, and then her insides melted into a cascade of phlegmy butterflies. Phlegmy butterflies? She cringed. The mental image was disgusting.

It all came of being the daughter of a romance novelist. It was simply meant to be. She had been cursed from the moment her dear old parents had decided to procreate.

She damned fate. She damned Hayate. She damned herself.

* * *

So yeah... basically I decided Hayate's drabble needed a companion. 'Cause I was bored and stuff. Maybe if anyone reads this I'll end up writing a super-awkward scene where they end up confronting each other. *Evil laughter* The Awkward... it has _so much potential..._

_*Aherm* _Anyway. Thanks for reading!

Love, SB


	3. A Score to Settle

So this takes a while to get to the point, and once it does, it's rather less than satisfactory. If, when I'm more coherent, I find things to change, I'll do that. :D

Be on the look out for really. Bad. Puns.

A whole line of them. (Heehee... I love puns.)

* * *

Himeno was biting her fingernails. Hayate tried not to stare, but it was extremely interesting, to watch her little white teeth nibble away, rather like a rabbit.

"_I _don't want to get involved in this," said Goh. "It's none of my business."

"But it's so fun to watch," Mannen said, frowning. "Isn't it fun to watch, Hajime?"

Hajime shrugged. "Not… really…"

"We're simply here to intervene where intervention is needed," Sasame said calmly. "The rest of it will solve itself."

"That sounds great," said Hayate blandly. "But what the hell are you talking about?"

"You and Himeno, of course," Kei replied, as if this were thoroughly obvious. "The rest of us don't work well in an environment where lives may be susceptible to ending."

"Sorry?" said Himeno, looking a bit lost.

"You two always want to kill each other," Goh supplied.

She blushed furiously and looked down at her feet.

Hayate ground his teeth together. "This is ridiculous. There's nothing wrong between me and Himeno." He worked up his nerve and looked smoothly across at her. "Right?"

Her cheeks went pink once more, and she went back to examining her laces. "Er… right."

"Mhm." Sasame did not sound convinced. "If that's so, I suppose you won't mind us leaving you two alone for a moment."

"And what exactly would you like us to discuss?" Hayate demanded.

Kei's eyes went skyward in deep thought. "Revisions to your methods of interaction," he said finally.

Himeno shot an uncertain glance at Sasame, who winked back at her. Hayate couldn't quite explain his strong desire to punch Sasame in the face right then.

Instead, he cleared his throat. "Any particulars?"

"I think you both need to cool down," said Mannen, grinning around at the other Knights.

They cottoned on immediately. "Things are getting a little heated," Goh agreed.

"If only you could listen to each other…" Sasame began.

"Then you could shed some light on the situation," Kei finished. They nodded at each other with an air of great composure.

"And grow from the experience!" Shin cried, looking extremely pleased with himself. Goh raised his eyebrows, impressed, and slapped him a high-five.

They all turned to Hajime, who blanched on the spot. "So… don't sweat?" he suggested timidly.

"Weak," said Mannen. "Very weak."

"He didn't have a ton of options," Goh pointed out.

"You're all hilarious," Hayate snarled.

"I'm dying of laughter," Himeno agreed drily, crossing her arms.

Shin frowned, perplexed. "But you look mad. You're not even laughing."

"Alright, _out_," said Sasame, as Mannen opened his mouth to explain that girls could be sarcastic, too. "Out, out, _out_." He ushered Shin and Hajime toward the door; Goh grabbed Mannen by the collar and dragged him along.

Hayate and Himeno lunged simultaneously after the group, but Kei clucked his tongue at them and stood, hands on his hips, at the door. "Do you really think I'm going to let you out of this room, Hayate?"

"You will if you know what's good for you," Hayate shot back.

"I don't think so." Kei twirled a piece of hair around his finger, looking bored. "It's all like Sasame said: you two have a score to settle, and it's going to be settled now." He slipped out of the room, but not before leaning back in and drawling a low, "Good luck."

A low growl rumbled in Hayate's throat. "'Score to settle'," he muttered. "What score to settle?"

Himeno leaned wearily against the door, jiggling the lock with her ring finger. "I guess they mean the fact that we can't be in the same room for more than three seconds without going at each other's throats. Or rather," she corrected herself, "you can't look at me without pointing out five and a half things I'm doing wrong."  
"I do not!" said Hayate hotly, whirling around from his stance by the window.

"Oh, _don't _you?" Himeno stiffened, bristling. "So you _don't _make fun of me constantly and nitpick and… and other things?"

"_Other things_, what _other things?" _

"Maybe just those things, I don't _know! _Those stupid little tests you had me do, just to prove I wasn't _good _enough, because Lord knows if anything's going to boost my confidence, _that _will…"

"Clearly the point wasn't to boost your confidence, it was to get your head out of the clouds!" Hayate cried, starting to pace.

"What exactly are you insinuating?" Himeno demanded nastily.

"You act like you're infallible!" he roared suddenly, twisting to face the window again. "You act like there's nothing to lose -!"

"_LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TO ME!" _

Hayate stiffened, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Very slowly, he turned to face Himeno.

Her fists were clenched and she stood slightly hunched over, as if someone had delivered a heavy blow to her back; every inch of her was trembling, and her eyes were as wide and fiery as any Hayate had ever seen.

Damn, she could look scary when she wanted to.

"What I _meant to say_," Hayate continued after a heavy swallow, "is that you act like everything's _fine_ all the time - "

"Oh, and I should be more like _you_," Himeno said, her voice quaking. "I should be more like you, and bemoan every little pitfall and never move on, because getting stuck on all the minute details of your life is oh so _wise _and _mature_ -"

"If you're talking about Saihi," Hayate said through clenched teeth, "I advise you don't go any further."

"Or _what?" _Himeno shrieked. "Or _what? _What are you going to do? Well?" She advanced on him further, her fists rising. "_What are you going to do?"_

Hayate retreated, his hands rising in an attempt to stave her off. "Don't you start attacking me, we can solve this like civilized people -"

"SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CIVIL TO ME?" Her voice grated like sandpaper against his ears, and bitter tears abruptly released from her blazing eyes.

Hayate recoiled in horror. He'd made her _cry? Her? _She was the strongest person he knew…

"Maybe you have every reason to hate me," she continued, her lower lip trembling wildly as she attempted to keep her voice steady. "Maybe you do. I wouldn't know, because I wasn't around when Takako was Prétear. I don't know everything that happened between you and her, but… but I am _not_ Takako, Hayate. And I've had the chance to walk away, and I very nearly did, but I'm here, aren't I? I'm damn well here, and that means I'm _your _Prétear. Sasame's and Goh's and Mannen's and Hajime's and Shin's and Kei's and _yours_. And that means everything that bothers you, every single fight you fight is my fight as well. So I beg your pardon for trying to remain _optimistic_ while battling every demon the seven of you can throw at me, and Saihi besides, since apparently that's too difficult for you. Maybe I could just cave in and dissolve and become another Saihi and brood in my own misery, and that would be more your style."

He shuddered as if he'd been stung by a wasp. "Don't say that," he hissed, his finger pointing at her menacingly. "Don't you _ever _say that, Awayuki Himeno."

She refused to look away, though a faint flush of shame crept into her coloring. "I only say it because it's true."

"Oh, _well_," he said loudly, "the Prétear has _spoken…" _

"It _is_ true!" she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground. "It IS! You just can't bear with anyone else dealing with their lives because you can't handle your own! Just because you're so guilty about Takako, you want me to feel every insecurity I can possibly come up with! Well I _won't_, Hayate! And do you know why?" She moved closer and seized him by the collar. "BECAUSE IT WASN'T YOUR GODDAMN FAULT!" The tears spilled over again, but her gaze grew only more insistent. "YOU DID _NOTHING WRONG._" She shook him a little. "So let it go, Hayate, be at peace, and just leave me _alone!"_ She shuddered away from him, dryish sobs wracking her body.

He couldn't move. He could only gape, a wrinkle of horror resting on his brow.

"_Go_, Hayate."

He swept to the door, but turned back, hesitant. "Himeno - "

"I SAID GO!"

He needed no further invitation.

* * *

"So," said Sasame, appearing once more in his bedroom doorway. "I guess things didn't go that well."

"It was a stupid idea," said Hayate. "You know she can't be reasoned with."

"I don't know that in the least," Sasame said lightly. "Perhaps you're the one who isn't reasoning properly."

Hayate grunted.

"She's a nice, understanding, compassionate girl, Hayate. You treat her like she's the dirt on Takako's shoes."

"Why does everyone insist on bringing up Takako?" he muttered to the room at large.

Unfortunately, the room at large was empty, and he had learned long ago that his bookcase was not entirely sympathetic to his sorrows.

"Because, Hayate, it's high time you let Takako go."

"I never loved her in the first place!" he cried.

"Exactly." Sasame leaned easily into the doorframe. "And you think that's your fault. I'm not asking you to release your love for anyone, Hayate – I'm asking you to get rid of your guilt. It's dragging everyone down."

"You sound like Himeno," he muttered.

"Do I?" Sasame's eyes glinted mischievously. "What did she say, exactly…?"

"NO."

"Come on, Hayate - "

"NO."

"I just want to - "

"I said NO."

"Were you mean to her?"

"She cried," Hayate muttered.

"What?! You moron!"

"I didn't _mean_ to do anything, good Lord!"

"What did you say?"

"All I said was, see, she was about to start her punch-kick moves on me, and all I said was, we can settle this like civilized people, and then she goes off the edge." Hayate shrugged. "Like I said, the girl can't be reasoned with."

Sasame did not look convinced. "Right."

"Seriously!"

"Mhm."

"That's what happened, I swear! I don't _treat her like dirt_, after all!"

"Hayate, you give that girl's stepsisters a run for their money, and that's saying something." Sasame glanced out Hayate's window. "So I'd say you have some patching up to do with our dear little Prétear, hm?"

Hayate gave him a look that could have killed a small mammal.

"And while you're at it," Sasame added, tastefully ignoring the other's expression, "might as well smooth over another matter at the same time, hm?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Hayate gruffly.

"Look." Sasame leaned further into the room. "You two will keep making life miserable for the rest of us until you admit that you're crazy about each other. Just be a man and get it over with, would you?"

"I am _not _crazy about her -!"

Sasame blinked. "Sure you're not. That's why you can never take your eyes off her."

Hayate spluttered like a fish. Fish out of water. Fish _in _water. Wet fish out of water.

Hayate spluttered.

"Stop making a fool of yourself," Sasame said with a martyred sigh. "Go on, what are you waiting for?" He sauntered off, leaving Hayate wearing a very interesting expression in the middle of his room.

* * *

She was brushing her hair in rhythmic, short strokes when he appeared on the balcony. She jumped a little in her pajamas and thanked the heavens she was still wearing a bra.

He shuffled his way into the room inch by inch; she watched him through the mirror. His gorgeous black hair was whipped and windblown around his face, and occasionally a hand darted up to his head to swipe it out of his eyes. Still, she kept her focus on brushing. Calm. Even. There were _no _butterflies in her stomach. Her heart was _not _pounding a thousand miles a minute.

She set the brush down on her bureau and turned around to face him. She ended up facing the bit of carpet by his feet instead.

"I made you a cake," she said quietly, as a means of greeting. "But it's downstairs. I didn't expect you, you know… up here."

He was silent. She chanced a look up at him, and was astonished to see that his eyes were wide and softened.

"I'm sorry I, um, yelled at you. And cried. And did stupid things." She cringed at the memory. She cringed at the sound of her own words. She cringed at her cringe.

"No," said Hayate, and she twitched at hearing him finally speak. "No, I - I shouldn't have - you were right. About everything. What happened with Takako… it's got nothing to do with you. I shouldn't have dragged you into it."

She jerked her head to the side. "Except that, you know, I'm the Prétear."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Except for that."

"It _is _complicated," she allowed. "How much I should get involved in it. I'm going to be connected to your past no matter what, but at the same time, I wasn't _there_, so… so I shouldn't be, but I have to be, because that's what made me Prétear in the first place." She was rambling and she sounded stupid, but she couldn't make herself shut up. "Learning about Takako was the scariest thing - knowing I could end up like her - and realizing that I was just like her and so different from her at the same time, knowing I could become her, or that I could be the polar opposite of her - it made me so scared to be Prétear but at the same time I knew I had to do it, you know?"

Hayate just watched her.

"Lots of paradoxes," she said, laughing shakily, trying to break the silence.

He said quietly, "Himeno…"

She looked up quickly. "Yes?"

But he was staring off into space again. "I…"

"I shouldn't have said all those things," she supplied quickly, in case that was what he was thinking. "About your attitude and… and… yeah."

"Just so you know," said Hayate suddenly, "I only criticized you to make you stronger." He bit his lip. "I only kept you away to protect you."

Himeno nodded. "Just so you know," she said, a slight grin perched on her lips, "I only beat you up because I'm angry."

Hayate stared down at his shoes, smirking. "Makes sense." He started pacing for the second time that day. Himeno watched him meander back and forth, his hair glinting silver shadows in the moonlight. "Because Himeno," he said finally, pausing in front of her, "because… dammit, Himeno, if something happened to you…"

She felt her eyes widening; her heart rate spiked. (She tried to laugh it off. She had to.) "It's all part of the job, Hayate. I made up my mind to do this to protect everyone. You know that."

His lips pressed together until they turned white under the pressure. "That's not what I mean," he practically growled. "Dammit, Himeno… god_dammit…_"

"Do you want some cake?" she suggested timidly.

"_No_, I don't want any goddamn _cake_," he said.

"I was just _offering!" _she retorted, stung. "You don't have to be so r-"

She was cut off as he reached forward, snatched her head between his hands, and kissed every ounce of retaliation out of her.

When she backed away, stunned, he looked both shocked and extremely pleased with himself.

"What was _that?" _she barked once she'd collected her wits.

His face fell minutely. "Erm… shit."

"_What do you mean, 'erm, shit'?"_

"What do you expect me to mean when you're yelling at me like that?!" he cried defensively. "Sorry, I'm _sorry_, alright? That was impulsive and it was stupid, and… alright, I'm sorry."

"But why did you _do _it?" Himeno demanded.

"Why the hell do you _think _I did it?"

"How should I know!" she screeched. "You hate me!"

"I don't - I don't _hate _you…!"

"Yes you _do_, you loathe my _guts_ because I'm not Takako, even though you loathed her guts, too, but you're Hayate and you just loathe guts in general, so of _course _you hate me!"

He seized her by the shoulders and shook her maniacally. "I DON'T HATE YOU!"

"WELL I DON'T HATE YOU EITHER!" she yelled in his face.

That was enough of a confession for Himeno, and it certainly seemed to be enough for Hayate, as he wrapped his arms around her more tightly this time and kissed her once more.

In their case, thought Himeno, lack of hatred went a long way.

* * *

Well thank god _that _finally happened. Sheeesh. You wait the whole series and then you're left flat on your face. Oh well. That's what fanfiction's for.

It took me way too long to write this. Ugh. Far longer than I'll willingly admit.

So... what do you think? I'm not feeling quite done with these two yet, so if you've got any suggestions for further skirmishes, I'm all ears!

Thanks for reading!

~SB


End file.
